Performing Arts
Name _______________________________________________ No. _______ Class _________ Date _________________
A. JOBS IN PERFORMING ARTS
1. Match the jobs with their description.
a. playwright
b. stage manager
c. set designer
d. choreographer
e. casting director
f. production manager
g. film editor
h. screenwriter
i. costume designer
j. production designer
k. sound designer
l. visual effects artist
2. Match the Portuguese equivalents with the jobs above.
diretor de produção
guionista figurinista
• • 1. finds the perfect location for specific scenes and gets
Files for specific purposes
approval from the property owners to film on the
premises; arranges for snacks, power supplies, dressing
areas and parking during filming
• • 2. manages all special effects in postproduction; adds
music to the film to enhance the feel of a certain scene
and effects to increase the aesthetics
• • 3. responsible for creating all the looks in the film
• • 4. ensures the rehearsal process is well ordered,
communicates between teams to make sure everyone
is up to date and takes charge backstage during shows
• • 5. posts casting notices and holds auditions for directors
and producers to see actors in action
• • 6. leads the art department and is responsible for the
visuals of the film. This includes colour palettes,
location options, lighting and costumes
• • 7. creates effects that can’t be handled on set such as
explosions, fires, falling buildings and floods
• • 8. writes an original script for a play or musical
• • 9. designs a set that has visual impact and ties in with the
director’s vision for the production and sets the overall
tone for costume and lighting design
• • 10. creates the entire concept and dialect of a film
• • 11. works with the director to cut down the movie after
all the footage has been recorded
• • 12. responsible for working out how the actors should
move when on the stage
editor diretor de casting sonoplasta cenógrafo
especialista em efeitos especiais coreógrafo dramaturgo
diretor de fotografia contrarregra
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 B. THEATRE

1. There are different kinds of theatre productions that cover different types of themes and
styles.
1.1 Match the theatre productions below with one of the plays.

Musical Comedy Tragedy Historic play

a. ________________ b. ________________ c. ________________ d. ________________

2. Theatres themselves have also evolved according to the types of productions they show.
2.1 Match the types of stages with their description.
a. proscenium • • 1. They project into the auditorium with the audience
stages sitting on three sides; the stage area is square or semi-
circular; these kinds of stages are often used to
increase intimacy between actors and the audience.
b. open air • • 2. They have an architectural frame, known as arch, and
theatres they are deep; the front of the stage extends into the
auditorium; they often include an orchestra pit for live
music and a fly tower for the movement of scenery
and lighting.
c. theatres • • 3. They have a central performance area enclosed by the
in-the-round audience on all sides; the stage area is usually
or arena rectangular, more like a sports arena, with several
theatres rows placed one above the other.
d. thrust stages • • 4. They are flexible performance spaces stripped to their
basics, usually a single room painted black; the floor of
the stage is at the same level as the first row of the
audience.
e. black-box • • 5. Outdoor theatres that do not have a roof, although
or studio sometimes parts of the stage or audience seating will
theatres be covered; these stages may make use of the natural
light as it changes during the day.

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 2.2 Label the pictures with the types of stages from the previous exercise.

a. _____________________ b. _____________________ c. _____________________

Files for specific purposes

d. _____________________ e. _____________________

3. A typical stage in proscenium theatres is made up of different parts.

3.1 Read the sentences and label the picture with some of the words in bold.

b.

a. c.

d.

e.

• Cross over is the area used by stage hands, technicians, and performers to travel from
“stage left” to “stage right”, while remaining out of the audience’s sight.
• Upstage is the area that is furthest away from the audience.
• The location used for acting is the acting area.
• Downstage is the section of the stage which is closest to the audience.
• Stage Left and Stage Right are the areas to the performer’s left (the audience’s right) or the
performer’s right (the audience’s left).
• The areas on the performers’ right and left that are out of sight of the audience are called
Off Right and Off Left; they often serve as exit points for the performers.
• The area where the audience sits to view the performance is the house. It can be packed or
empty.
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 C. MUSIC

1. Group the following voice types into typical male or female, and then rank them from the
lowest to the highest vocal range.

baritone countertenor alto bass mezzo soprano soprano tenor

a. _____________________ e. _____________________
b. _____________________ f. _____________________
c. _____________________ g. _____________________
d. _____________________

2. Listen to excerpts from the following singers and identify their voice types.

a. Andreas Scholl b. Elvis Presley c. Elton John d. Louis Armstrong

___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________

e. Kate Bush f. Tracy Chapman g. Lana Del Rey

___________________ ___________________ ___________________

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3. Freddie Mercury is considered one of the greatest singers of all time. Listen to the excerpts
and identify six of Queen’s iconic songs.

a. ________________________ d. _________________________
b. ________________________ e. _________________________
c. ________________________ f. _________________________

4. Read the following text about Freddie Mercury and find the main technical characteristic that
makes him one of the most extraordinary singers of all time.

Files for specific purposes

Is Freddie Mercury the greatest singer of all time? Science Says ‘Yes’

Yes, science apparently claims that the late Freddie

Mercury of the band Queen is the greatest vocalist of all
time. There have been actual experiments and studies
conducted to prove these claims and they might surprise
5 you (or not)!
Some Austrian, Czech, and Swedish researchers
conducted the study, which was posted through Logopedics
Phoniatrics Vocology. In the study, they not only proved that
Mercury is the greatest singer of all time, but they also
10 proved that some myths that have been circulating in the
music industry for quite some time were wrong.
The team of researchers debunked some theories by
watching six interviews that Mercury did in his time. The
interviews revealed a median speaking frequency of 117.3 Hz,
15 meaning that Mercury was actually a natural baritone and
not a tenor as everyone would assume.
They didn’t uncover the myth that Mercury’s range spanned over four octaves, but they did
find out that Mercury likely used subharmonics. Subharmonics is a singing style where the
ventricular folds vibrate with the vocal folds. This means that Mercury’s vocal chords just moved
20 faster than other people’s, meaning his vibrato was 7.04 Hz while the typical vibrato would be
between 5.4 Hz and 6.9 Hz.
The British rock band Queen formed in 1970 and continues on today with current members
Brian May and Roger Taylor. Freddie Mercury, the original leading vocalist, died in 1991 at age
45 of complications from AIDS. He received a number of posthumous awards, including the Brit
25 Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music. He was also inducted into the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003, and the UK Music Hall of Fame
in 2004.
https://doyouremember.com
(accessed in August 2019)

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 D. DANCE

1. There are many types of dance. Watch the videos and identify the different types of dance.

ballet contemporary dance street dance modern dance ballroom dance

conceptual dance traditional/folk dance

a. ________________________ b. ________________________ c. ________________________ d. ________________________

e. ________________________ f. ________________________ g. ________________________

1.1 Now match the types of dance above with their definitions.
a. ___________________: a popular free dance style that includes elements of performance
art, release technique, improvisation and contact improvisation
b. ___________________: a type of dance that involves free leg movement, strong stress on
the torso, unpredictability, improvisation and non-standardised costumes, sets, and
lighting
c. ___________________: a type of dance that represents a heritage (musical, cultural,
historical…) of people who live in a certain region or country, usually performed at
dance gatherings with traditional music of the region
d. ___________________: a type of dance that critiques theatrical representation, avoids
conventional virtuosity and choreographic structure and offers a reflexive, sometimes
ironic, commentary on the conventions of dance practice
e. ___________________: a dance form demanding grace and precision and employing
formalised steps and gestures set in intricate, flowing patterns to create expression
through movement
f. ___________________: an informal dance style with energetic movements that was
developed in the street or at nightclubs
g. ___________________: type of social dancing that is performed by couples and follows
prescribed steps; it is performed in various contexts, including invitational and public
dance events, professional dance exhibitions and formal competitions

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MORE USEFUL WORDS

MUSIC Música • prompt ponto

• Bagpipes gaita de foles • prompt book guião

• Bass baixo • props adereços

• cello violoncelo • stage fright pânico de palco

• chord acorde • stage hands ajudantes de teatro

• clef clave • standing ovation aplauso de pé

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• counterpoint contraponto • to run estar em cena

• drums bateria
• octave oitava DANCE Dança
• pitch altura • ad lib de improviso

• range âmbito • backflip mortal atrás

• scale escala • balance equilíbrio

• score partitura • elevation elevação

• string quartet quarteto de cordas • free-flowing movement movimento fluido

• tempo ritmo/compasso • kinsphere espaço imaginário que rodeia o

corpo humano
• landing receção ao solo
THEATRE Teatro
• leap salto
• audition audição
• leotard maiô
• cast elenco
• piece coreografia
• comps bilhetes oferecidos
• premier danseur bailarino principal
• cue deixa
• routine esquema de dança
• curtain call agradecimento final
• spin rodopiar
• dress rehearsal ensaio geral
• stance postura
• house público
• tap dance sapateado
• intermission intervalo
• warm-up aquecimento
• opening night noite de estreia

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 Answer Key

PERFORMING ARTS

A. Jobs in performing arts

1. a. 8 b. 4 c. 9 d. 12 e. 5 f. 1 g. 11 h. 10 i. 3 j. 6 k. 2 l. 7
2. a. Dramaturgo b. Contrarregra c. Cenógrafo d. Coreógrafo e. Diretor de casting f. Diretor de
produção g. Editor h. Guionista i. Figurinista j. Diretor de fotografia k. Sonoplasta l. especialista
de efeitos especiais

B. Theatre
1.1 a. Comedy b. Musical c. Historic play d. Tragedy
2.1 a. 2 b. 5 c. 3 d. 1 e. 4
2.2 a. open air theatre b. proscenium stage c. thrust theatre d. theatre in-the-round or arena
theatre e. black-box or studio theatre
C.1 a. Stage right b. Upstage c. Stage Left d. Downstage e. House

C. Music
1. a. bass b. baritone c. tenor d. countertenor e. alto f. mezzo soprano g. soprano
2. a. countertenor b. baritone c. tenor d. bass e. soprano f. alto g. mezzo soprano
3. a. Love of my Life b. We are the Champions c. Don’t stop me now d. Bohemian Rapsody
e. We will rock you f. The show must go on
4. Freddie Mercury likely used subharmonics, a singing style where the ventricular folds vibrate
with the vocal folds, which means that his vocal chords moved faster than other people’s, his
vibrato was 7.04 Hz while the typical vibrato would be between 5.4 Hz and 6.9 Hz.

D. Dance
1. a. conceptual dance b. modern dance c. contemporary dance d. ballet e. street dance f. folk
dance g. ballroom dance
1.1 a. modern dance b. contemporary dance c. folk dance d. conceptual dance e. ballet
f. street dance g. ballroom dance

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